More Adoptables

Guacamole  (KN)

For years the RAPS tradition has been that adoptable cats go to the Adoption Centre, and that most of the Sanctuary cats are non-adoptable. And basically, that’s not changed much. When we take visitors around, they quickly realise that feral cats, scared cats, peeing cats and cats with medical conditions are not the best prospect for a long-term home.

Frank - all dressed up and looking for a home  (KN)

But we now know much more about feline behavioural issues, and about the things that might make a formerly feral cat more or less adoptable – and we are no longer so fixed on “that cat can’t be adopted!”, with better education for adopters.  So currently we have posted some cats in both the Front and Back Courtyards that we think might do well in a home, and visitors can ask to be introduced to some of the candidates.

Lomi is becoming more adventurous  (BC)

What makes a cat adoptable in our eyes?  It should be willing to interact with a human – that does not necessarily mean lap-sitting, or allowing itself to be picked up, but it should be happy with petting, treats and perhaps a little grooming. It should be mostly a litter-box user – though, at the Sanctuary there are many cats who prefer to use the gardens as their bathroom. We look for people who are cat-savvy, who are patient, who don’t expect that the cat will immediately bond with them, and who understand that a cat needs time to settle in a new home. They will often come to visit repeatedly, giving “their” cat time to get used to them.  A cat who is a stray will usually settle much more easily than a former feral, A cat who is adopted as an only cat will be much more likely to use a litterbox and not mark territory in unpleasant ways.

Polar is friendly, but wary of visitors  (BC)

Back in April's blog, Mycroft (Holmes) was still wary, but now he flirts with all the visitors; he's going to his new home this month. In May, I presented two of the Hotel Cats, Westin and Wyndham – one from the front courtyard and one from New Aids; both are enjoying attention from visitors. Bello had his blog in July, and went to his new home in September.  In August I introduced RootBeer, Frank and Lomi, all of whom are still looking for their own homes. The following week I introduced the Sushi Boys, Tobiko and Hamachi – Tobiko is certainly adoptable; Hamachi has annoyed other cats and had cage-time as a consequence (and, sadly, is cage-aggressive), but would probably do fine with his brother.  In September we met sweet Reef, who is getting braver all the time.  Background information can be found by following any of those links.

Speckle welcomes Hill House visitors (LBF)

Two of our Front Courtyard tabbies are on the list – generally you can find them in or around the Hill House. Speckle is particularly willing to come forward for petting at table-height – she’s 5-6 years old, and has been with us for four years, though it’s only in the least year or so that she’s become such a flirt. Kahlua is about the same age, all-tabby, and very friendly. Their buddy Chai who came in at the same time remains resolutely feral in behaviour and will have nothing to do with visitors.

Rosie is wary with strangers  (BC)

In the Back Courtyard there are two small black cats who refuse to emerge while weekend visitors are around, but who come out and make friends when things are quieter.  Both base themselves in the Newcomers area and the shelves around.  If you want to meet Arwen you will probably need to make an appointment outside regular visiting hours;  your chances are better with Polar, who loves petting and attention once most people have gone - he's not yet had his own blog page.  Another shy girl also inhabits the Newcomers; blond Rosie is a little picky about her people and needs a lot of patience, but is very sweet when she becomes trusting.

Kahlua is another Hill House inhabitant  (AG)

The most outgoing of the Back Courtyard adoptables is black Guacamole. He is almost always willing to come for petting and attention, and his only problem is that he refuses to wear his “adoptable” bandana. But you really can’t miss him – he’s our one tripod/tri-paw’d there, and the most likely to come and introduce himself.

Tobiko (SF)

These are all cats who are used to Sanctuary life and would not do well in the cages of the Adoption Centre. They would all prefer space to roam: an enclosed garden or a catio – but like all RAPS cats, they should basically remain indoor cats, and never have to know the terrifying life of a feral again.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Sarah Faith, 

Akira Graham, Karen Nicholson

Hill House Haven

Handsome Mango  (MW)

It was just the way my Kitty Comforter shift worked out last week – I ended up spending a lot more time in the Hill House than I usually do, and renewed all sorts of friendships with cats who were choosing a cosy corner on a not-very-nice day.

Inside the Hill House  (BC)

The Hill House is the Front Courtyard cabin that lies between the Val Jones pen and the Old Rabbit Area (ORA), both of which I’ve written about before. It gets its name from cat-lover Stanley Hill, whose family made its refurbishing possible as a memorial, and he would have loved the bunch of cats who were making themselves at home in it when I visited.

Solar, sitting by the ORA window   (MW)

As I wrote last week, many cats are territorial – they like to be in a familiar space, and can sometimes be a little hissy when a feline stranger intrudes. The Hill House is actually a space in which intrusions are frequent, and most of the residents shrug them off. The covered courtyard known as the Old Rabbit Area has many very shy residents, and the permanently open window between the two areas makes it possible for the ferals to venture out into a safe space with (mostly) friendly cats. 

Tamale, who lives mostly in the ORA  (LBF)

While I was there, handsome Tamale ventured through the window, and though he clearly didn’t want physical contact, he was ready to let me talk to him, and to see that there were tidbits on offer, when he felt brave enough.  We think Tamale may be the brother of short-haired tuxedo Boston in New Aids; Boston accepts belly rubs now, and thinks humans are a Good Thing, when they approach gently.

Kia's look clearly says "Leave me alone!"  (BC)

Many of the Hill House regular residents, are exactly that - regular: this is where to go to find grey Solar or friendly Kahlua.  Kia will be found in her open cage – this grumpy girl was not happy about coming into our care, and she is one of the cats that has claimed her cage, refusing to move.  The two big Hill House cages are prime real estate because of their size, and it may well be that she has to be evicted to make room for a pair of cats who need to room together (Benjamin and Olivia once had this cage), in which case she will be forced to find another corner in which to indulge her Garbo-cat tendencies. Kia doesn’t encourage either feline or human sociability; minimal petting is tolerated, and then you can see her planning where to deliver the go-away smack.

TicTac with her boyfriend Mozart   (BC)

At the other end of the spectrum I could also find Mozart and TicTac cuddled together in a very small bed.  Handsome Mozart is one of a group we called The Teens; cats who came to us past the easy socializing stage, and who have taken their own sweet time about making human friends. Pretty Pistachio from that group got adopted, but Benny, Leo, and Caleb are still with us. Mozart’s striking looks always draw attention, but he’s actually pretty shy around people, and the Hill House is his favourite hideout.  TicTac came to us from the Adoption Centre last year as one of the cats with cage aggression, who was not showing well to potential adopters.  Once out of her cage and in the company of other cats she calmed down – and all the more so when she met Mozart, who she adores. He tolerates her attention and consents to share his bed, but I think the relationship is a little one-sided.

Sam - as content as he can be, surrounded by other cats  (BC)

I am interested in the fact that Sam also chooses to make the Hill House his base.  Most of us love Sam – but warily;  Sam desperately needs a cat-savvy human who is prepared to have Sam be a one-and-only, and he is incapable of demonstrating that to a visitor without getting distracted by other cats – at which point (much of the time) he gets really reactive.  Sam has never recovered from losing his owner, and he does NOT like this place – but most cat-savvy people already have cats. Still, Sam chooses to claim a corner of the Hill House, and as long as other felines don’t get too close, he enjoys the warmth and the proximity to treats.

Pretty Speckle  (MW)

Lots of beds and shelves mean that this is a popular place for sleeping, snuggles and socializing.  Speckle can almost always be coaxed off the trolley shelves to accept tidbits and treats. She has really blossomed from the wary girl she used to be when she first arrived.

Jenny - wary, but interested  (BC)

The big table on the left hides the litter boxes, but also provides a surface for cats who prefer to hide on the higher shelving, and occasionally venture down to try a little flirting with a human visitor.  Newcomer Jenny has joined the many black cats in the front courtyard;  it’s nice to have her be so identifiable by her white markings, and even nicer to see her starting to accept attention from us.

Toes - taking shelter in the porch area   (BC)

Even on the way out, there are cats who prefer the shelter of the porch to the more open courtyard. Tortie Toes and newcomer Frank had both decided that they would opt for cover;  Toes is often in the Yellow Shed when not sitting on the box-pile, but was happy to have a little attention from her corner in the Hill House porch; newbieFrank is still working out which corner he will claim as home, and I hope he will eventually come inside and join the Hill House Club.

Frank likes to tuck himself away in a box   (BC)

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult & Michele Wright

Front Courtyard Tabbies

Speckle   (MW)

Last November, I introduced shy lynx-point Chai on the blog, and mentioned that she came in to us with other cats from a local trapping operation. All of them went to the Adoption Centre, but were not ready for taming, and were transferred to us at the Sanctuary. Tabby & white Speckle is the most easily identified by her markings, but I’ve struggled to sort out the other two from all our other front-courtyard "plain" tabbies. Some of them have already had their blog moments in the sun; here they are again, with our newcomers.

Freya (BC) & Cricket (KN)

Freya and Cricket are well-known to us all – affectionate and confident girls. Freya, who was initially surrendered for aggression, is likely to be the greeter and leg-rubber at the gate (and occasionally a gate-buster); she likes to sleep on top of the 6’ broom closet.  Cricket endears herself by jumping up to meet the petting hand; we keep a careful eye on her because she occasionally shows a limp, though it never seems to last long. Floofy Autumn with her highlighted ruff usually hangs out on the top level of the climbing frame. Cookie Hill has mostly moved her location from the Hill House to the Yellow Shed, but is anxious for pets when someone comes to visit. In the Connor we have the more torby girls: Carly Simon, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera and of course, pretty dilute Chirpy

Lorelei & Libby (BC)

Libby was introduced as part of a feral group that came to us from VOKRA. Her brother, grey Solar, has settled well, and particularly loves Carol Porteus, who comes to feed twice a week – he knows she’s always good for particularly tasty offerings. Libby, though, is not comfortable with humans and hovers between the feral Old Rabbit Area and the Hill House. The draw in the Hill House is tubby little torby Lorelei, who Libby loves, but even loving Lorelei is not enough to tempt Libby into human contact. She looks on disapprovingly as other cats accept attention.

Kahlua (LBF) when she first came to us

Libby has the same identifying chest dot as Kahlua, who arrived last April with Chai and Speckle – but Libby’s fur has more of the classic-tabby whorls, whereas Kahlua shows the tabby stripes. Kahlua began in the Old Rabbit Area with the ferals, but has graduated to the Hill House, where she knows she can flirt with visiting humans. 

Kahlua today (KN) - confident and happy

From her beginnings with us as a feral, she has gained immensely in confidence, both on the table or shelves, and at floor level – some cats are ready to be petted in one place but not the other; at waist-height they can be fussed, but on the floor they are daunted by our size unless we get down to their level.  Kahlua just enjoys the attention, wherever it happens. She and Libby look alike, but their behaviour is very different!

Goose (KN)

Another tabby who is easily confused with Kahlua is Goose. She came to us more than a year ago from a local rescue; I believe she was originally from Manitoba. At about 8-10 months old, she was in the teenager space where she was past her best-by date for taming. Cage time was longer than usual, because she was so timid; many hours of Kitty Comforter attention  were spent just sitting and talking with her to accustom her to our presence. And, typically, once released, she still believed we were big scary monsters, and avoided being noticed.  And because she’s a very ordinary little tabby in appearance, it was easy to miss her.

Goose (LBF) in her favourite place

She loves to play, even if she still isn't sure of humans. Laser pointer, ping-pong balls, feather toys.. you name it, she'll probably play with it – in fact, she’ll wake out of a deep sleep to come play. She also LOVES cardboard boxes. She can mostly be found in the Gazebo in the centre of the front courtyard, where she hangs out with the boys – Mozart, Benny, Caleb (she is particularly attached to Caleb!) and enjoys the comfort of the heat lamp.

Dominique (MW)

The last little tabby came to us a little later than her buddies Speckle, Chai and Kahlua, because it turned out that she was pregnant, and she went into fosterage to have her kittens. They tamed and were adopted, but she remained wary, and was brought to join the others. She had originally been named Domino, but since we’ve had two Dominos (one adopted) and currently have another Domino (male) in New Aids, she was renamed as Dominique.  Rather than joining the other ferals, she stayed near Chai in the Connor area, and can often be found near the gate.

Dominique (KN)

Though clearly tabby-marked, her fur is more agouti-patterned, with torbie hints of orange in it. Dominique is very food-motivated, and the offer of treats is a major incentive to hang around certain humans!

Most of us struggle to identify all our black cats correctly. The tabbies, too, tended to get lumped into “the tabbies” group – but there are enough differences in appearance that a little detective work has helped ID them, and allow their personalities to shine through!

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright